Sunday, August 17, 2008

Hactivisim: Some Russian PCs Used to Cyber Attack Georgia

Thousands of Russian supporters are volunteering their PCs to be used in cyberattacks against websites supporting the rival state of Georgia.

This new style of cyberwarfare — in which ordinary citizens instantly enlist their PCs to help bedevil the enemy — has caused little damage of substance, security experts say. But it affirms the untapped potential for using the Internet to cause mass confusion for political gain.

"This type of attack will form at least a part of all geopolitical conflicts from now on," predicts Steve Santorelli, director of investigations at research firm Team Cymru.

And also, not to be lost in this report, this:

Russian cybercrime lords are also helping out by directing parts of their vast networks of compromised PCs, called botnets, to involuntarily join the attacks. On Friday, Damballa identified a few hundred botted PCs in the U.S. attacking pro-Georgia websites.